Education reforms on the Isle of Wight

Last updated

Education reforms on the Isle of Wight is part of a process to change the Isle of Wight's education from a three-tier system to a two-tier system. The debate as to how this should occur was first started in 2004, lasting until 2008. Three options were put forward at the start of 2008 as to what kind of education system would be best to move forward with. However, as all included the closure of large numbers of island schools, they produced a negative reaction with many local islanders, resulting in protests occurring in the main towns of Newport, Ryde, Shanklin and Sandown. A final decision was made in May, announcing which schools would be closed. The decision was made based on all three options put forward, instead of going down one definite path. The reforms were first implemented in September 2008, with everything aimed at completion by September 2010.

Contents

History

In 2004, the Isle of Wight Council undertook a consultative process aimed at changing local education structure, to a two tier school system which would bring the island in line with the rest of the country. The move was opposed by a lobby known as Standards not Tiers based in Upper Ventnor and the Conservatives, who, after they won the local council elections in May 2005 shelved the proposals pending further investigation.

The Annual Performance Assessment of the Isle of Wight Council's Education and Children's Social Care Services 2005, carried out by Office for Standards in Education and the Commission for Social Care Inspection, found low levels of achievements for pupils in schools and a lack of significant and sustained progress over the last five years. Overall, the Isle of Wight Council’s capacity to improve its services for children and young people was judged to be 'adequate', out of the four ratings 'very good', 'promising', 'adequate' or 'inadequate'.

In 2006, the regional Learning and Skills Council proposed an option which meant replacing the secondary schools' sixth forms with central provision at the Isle of Wight College. In January 2007, the authority rejected this proposal, and instead offered its own, which included a reduced number of secondary schools and the retention of Year 9 pupils in Middle schools, extending their range to form 9–14 schools and 14–19 provision at High Schools, an arrangement adopted nowhere else in the United Kingdom. [1]

The debate took on new urgency at the start of 2008, when three 'key options' were put forward by the Isle of Wight Council for public consultation, each of which meant the closure of at least half of the Island's primary schools. On 14 January 2008, the Council announced that at least 23 primary schools and one middle school (expected to be Nodehill Middle School) would be closed, whichever education pathway was chosen in March. [2]

Protests

A banner campaigning to save Chale Primary School from closure. Save Chale banner.JPG
A banner campaigning to save Chale Primary School from closure.

The 'biggest protest the Island has ever seen' [3] occurred outside County Hall in Newport on 26 January 2008 at 10:00am lasting an hour until 11:00am, led by Isle of Wight Radio DJ Alex Dyke as a result of the Council's plans for education reforms. Between 1,000 and 1,250 took part in the protest, including parents, teachers and students. The Island MP Andrew Turner, with two other councillors also attended the protest, disagreeing with the plans.

Later protests also occurred at Shanklin through the leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Councillor David Pugh's ward, with a silent march through the town. [4] Later protests occurred at Sandown and Ryde, with a final protest taking place again in Newport.

Final Decision

It was finally announced on 23 May 2008 which schools would be closed. [5] The final decision took parts of all three options, bringing the island into line with the rest of England with a two-tier system. Three primary schools will close completely, with 15 others no longer operating on their current sites. St Helens Primary, Chale CE Primary, and Weston Primary School were all announced to be closing completely, while others are amalgamated onto existing primary or middle school sites.

As a two-tier system requires no middle schools, by September 2010 there will be 38 primary schools in total and six high schools. The sites of existing middle schools will either be used for new amalgamated primary schools or new sites for high schools. Forelands Middle School and Nodehill Middle School are currently the only middle school sites which will have no use after their closure.

Implementation

The new Christ the King College, on the former Trinity Middle School site. Christ the King College upper campus.JPG
The new Christ the King College, on the former Trinity Middle School site.

The first stages of implementation took place in September 2008, with the final stages aimed at being complete by September 2010. This involved ABK Middle School and Trinity Middle School merging to form Christ the King College. [6] Although the site currently only takes years 5–8, by the time the system is fully implemented it will take a full age range. Kitbridge Middle School also merged with Downside Middle School. So far, two headteachers from both Medina High School and Cowes High School have announced they will be stepping down before the start of the new term in September, stating the education reforms as an influence to their decision. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight</span> County and island of England

The Isle of Wight is an island, English county and unitary authority in the English Channel, 2 to 5 miles off the coast of Hampshire, across the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island in England. Referred to as "The Island" by residents, the Isle of Wight has resorts that have been popular holiday destinations since Victorian times. It is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and verdant landscape of fields, downland, and chines. The island is historically part of Hampshire. The island is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport, Isle of Wight</span> English county town, Isle of Wight

Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island county off the south coast of England. The town is slightly north of the centre of the island, and is in the civil parish of Newport and Carisbrooke. It has a quay at the head of the navigable section of the River Medina, which flows northwards to Cowes and the Solent. The 2021 census recorded a population of 25,407.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Line, Isle of Wight</span> Electrified railway line on the Isle of Wight

The Island Line is a railway line on the Isle of Wight which runs along the island's east coast and links Ryde Pier Head with Shanklin. Trains connect at Ryde Pier Head with passenger ferries to Portsmouth Harbour, and these ferries in turn connect with the rest of the National Rail network via the Portsmouth Direct Line. The line also connects to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, a heritage railway, at Smallbrook Junction. For much of its length the line runs alongside the A3055, criss-crossing this road by means of the Ryde Tunnel and bridges at Rowborough, Morton Common, Lake Hill and Littlestairs.

Education on the Isle of Wight is provided by local education authority-maintained schools on the Isle of Wight, and independent schools. As a rural community, many of these schools are small, with average numbers of pupils lower than in many urban areas. It was decided on 19 March 2008, in a Whole Council Meeting, that the three-tier system would change into a two tier system. A report into the report on the re-organisation with proposals as to which schools would close was published in May 2008. There is also a college on the Isle of Wight and other less formal educational venues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight Railway</span> British pre-grouping railway (1864–1922)

The Isle of Wight Railway was a railway company on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom; it operated 14 miles of railway line between Ryde and Ventnor. It opened the first section of line from Ryde to Sandown in 1864, later extending to Ventnor in 1866. The Ryde station was at St Johns Road, some distance from the pier where the majority of travellers arrived. A tramway operated on the pier itself, and a street-running tramway later operated from the Pier to St Johns Road. It was not until 1880 that two mainland railways companies jointly extended the railway line to the Pier Head, and IoWR trains ran through, improving the journey arrangements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackwater, Isle of Wight</span> Human settlement in England

Blackwater is a village on the Isle of Wight, England. It is located about two miles south of Newport, close to the geographic centre of the island. It is in the civil parish of Arreton. The Newclose County Cricket Ground is just to the north of the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rookley</span> Human settlement in England

Rookley is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It is located five kilometres south of Newport near the centre of the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Vectis</span> British bus operator on the Isle of Wight, England

Southern Vectis is a bus operator on the Isle of Wight. The company was founded in 1921 as "Dodson and Campbell" and became the "Vectis Bus Company" in 1923. The company was purchased by the Southern Railway before being nationalised in 1969. In 1987, the company was re-privatised. In July 2005, it became a subsidiary of Go-Ahead Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake, Isle of Wight</span> Human settlement in England

Lake is a large village and civil parish located on Sandown Bay, on the Isle of Wight, England. It is six miles south-east of Newport situated between Sandown and Shanklin, and 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) to the east of the hamlet of Apse Heath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chillerton</span> Human settlement in England

Chillerton is a village between Newport and Chale in the Isle of Wight in southern England. Chillerton is in the middle of a farming community. It is in the civil parish of Chillerton and Gatcombe, along with nearby Gatcombe; the parish had a total population of 422 at the 2011 census.

Medina College is a foundation secondary school in Newport on the Isle of Wight, formerly Medina High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wightbus</span>

Wightbus was a bus operator on the Isle of Wight, established and owned by the Isle of Wight County Council. It operated a network of thirteen local bus services running across the island, mostly services which would not have been viable for the island's dominant commercial operator, Southern Vectis, to operate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport on the Isle of Wight</span> Various transport methods used on the Isle of Wight, England

There are several modes of Transport on the Isle of Wight, an island in the English Channel.

Sandown Bay Academy, formerly Sandown High School, was an academy status secondary school located in Sandown on the Isle of Wight, England. From 2012 to 31 August 2018 it was sponsored by the Academies Enterprise Trust. On 31 August 2018, the academy closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service</span> Former fire and rescue service on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service was the statutory fire and rescue service covering the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. On 1 April 2021, it merged with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service to form Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railways on the Isle of Wight</span> Railways

There once existed a 55+1⁄2-mile (89.3 km) network of railway lines on the Isle of Wight, which operated both as a self-contained railway network, and as links to ferry services between the island and the South coast of Great Britain. The routes were opened by several companies between 1862 and 1901 and modernised after The Grouping in the 1920s. Most of them were permanently closed between 1952 and 1966, whilst the 8+1⁄2-mile-long (13.7 km) Island Line was temporarily closed in 1966 and rebuilt for electric train services, introduced in 1967. Replacement trains were introduced in 1990, and again in 2021 along with a major renewal of the line. A further 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) have reopened as a heritage line known as the Isle of Wight Steam Railway and there have been several proposals to expand the network further since the 1960s, either with conventional heavy rail or by conversion to light rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Pugh (Conservative politician)</span>

David Pugh is a former Conservative councillor and served as leader of the Isle of Wight Council between September 2007 and May 2013, making him the longest serving leader of the local authority since its inception in 1995. He was first elected to the Isle of Wight Council at the local elections in May 2005 as a member for the Shanklin Central Ward, re-elected in the June 2009 elections to the Shanklin South Ward, losing his seat in the 2013 local elections after 2 other candidates withdrew, making the election a straight choice between Pugh and Independent, Richard Priest. Consequently, he ceased to be council leader.

References

  1. ↑ "Isle of Wight County Press – "Schools shake-up a step nearer"". www.iwcp.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
  2. ↑ "Isle of Wight County Press – "Schools cull set to rock island"". www.iwcp.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
  3. ↑ "Isle of Wight County Press – "Mass protest storms Newport"". www.iwcp.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
  4. ↑ "Isle of Wight County Press – "Silent march brings home schools protest"". www.iwcp.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
  5. ↑ iwcp.co.uk, 23 May 2008 School reform plans revealed
  6. ↑ "Isle of Wight County Press – "Faith key to new Christian college"". www.iwcp.co.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2008.[ dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Heads set to leave". Isle of Wight County Press . Retrieved 23 January 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.